


Contemplating Trouble

by Princesszellie



Series: Living with Trouble [7]
Category: Star Wars Legends: Jedi Apprentice Series - Jude Watson & Dave Wolverton, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen, Life with Loth Cat, Things get weird, its mind meld time, meditation with friends, weirder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:00:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28585365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princesszellie/pseuds/Princesszellie
Summary: Obi-Wan is having a bad day, well more like bad life....it's hard to be a teenager! What could possibly be the remedy to all that ails you? Meditation might help, but the love of a Loth cat certainly will cure you! There is no way to be upset when you spend quality time with Trouble.
Series: Living with Trouble [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924462
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	Contemplating Trouble

Meditation was a daily part of any Jedi’s life. From younglings barely old enough to walk to the oldest Masters, meditation was a keystone of the Jedi path.

Normally, meditation was pursued in the quieter parts of the Temple- The Room of a Thousand Fountains, the sound proofed meditation chambers, or any of the smaller private gardens. The Masters on the High Council had their own personal chambers dedicated to mediation according to their home world traditions and filled with Force channeling objects. 

As a practice Obi-Wan neither liked nor disliked meditation; it had been a part of his life as long as he could literally remember. It was as familiar as breathing. Early into his apprenticeship Obi-Wan had learned that mediation could be achieved anywhere in the galaxy and at any time; having a Master like Qui-Gon Jinn had seen to that. The skill however was infinitely useful. Because of his ‘anywhere would do’ upbringing, he generally preferred to meditate in his own rooms. The Fountain Room was too public for serious work and the mediation chambers felt too sterile and cell like.

So, like most days, he settled in on the living room floor to meditate. Qui-Gon had left him to his own devices today, in truth because he had been edgy and clearly needed some space to work out some teenage angst, and it was better for both of them to have some alone time. Murder was still frowned upon in the Core Worlds.

Obi-Wan grounded himself through his seat bones first, connecting them to the earth- which was stories and stories of stone and steel below him- but he could still feel it reach back to him. Taking a deep breath in he pulled the Force around him; he was feeling somewhat agitated so it took a bit longer than at other times.

The feeling of connectedness settled around him like a familiar blanket and he allowed the breath he was holding to softly release. Obi-Wan began the process of checking in with his body, listening for tension and discomfort. His jaw was clenched and he allowed it to relax-letting that stiffness go permitted the rest of his body to loosen up. With his body coming along, it was now time to begin ‘unclenching’ his mind; the greater of the two tasks.

Obi-Wan really couldn’t give a _name_ to the feeling that had been plaguing him for days, beyond that it was distracting and annoying. It flared up at unexpected times and surprised him with its sheer sudden and overwhelming presence. It made his heart pound, and his palms sweat and drove him to absolute distraction no matter the task at hand. Qui-Gon had chided him several times for his ‘sloppy mistakes’, it had annoyed him too. Quinlan had gotten in an unusually lucky hit with a bow staff yesterday and his leg still throbbed.

Just remembering that particular incident made his teeth grind together. Obi-Wan was over all of it! Starting over he took another deep breath, forced his teeth to part again and tried to quell is angrily beating heart.

This was going to be a struggle. Time started to lose meaning as all his focus turned inward. Examining every fiber of ones being was tedious and all consuming- and his hard work wasn’t going unnoticed by the only other set of eyes in the room.

Trouble had been napping on the windowsill, snuggled amongst the plants that were also enjoying the sunlight. Dozing and nibbling halfheartedly on the choicest leaves, she finally noticed the Boy who was now also sunbathing in the middle of the living room floor. With a big full body stretch that sent a small pot teetering towards destruction she hopped down and trotted over to check on Obi-Wan.

Oh, he was doing the _thing._ The thing where he was on her level, perfectly positioned for optimum love and pets; and where proceeded to totally ignore her for no justifiable reason. How irritating. Flicking her tail in annoyance Trouble circled the boy looking for an opening. Obi-Wan was sitting cross legged in the direct path of the sunbeam and the hollow of his lap looked super inviting…Trouble was going in.

Obi-Wan was finally starting to feel more connected to the Force and thus more peaceful. An unexpected weight in his lap broke his reverie. _Ugh._ Opening one eye he was greeted by Trouble’s round face peering up into his.

_Burrt?_ She quipped.

Groaning in annoyance he closed his eye, “Not now Trouble. I’m busy.” He shooed her away with one hand. Trouble ignored his dismissiveness and _chittered_ at him. Obi-Wan ignored her and tried to get back to his zen. Which very quickly became a losing battle as Trouble began sniffing his bare toes. Her whiskers tickled and Obi-Wan became more annoyed. “Trouble….” He really wasn’t in the mood for this; or anything really.

Trouble ignored his tone as she had already inched her way back onto his lap, and began the great pre-settle spin cycle. Obi-Wan sighed so hard a muscle he didn’t know was knotted in his ribs caused him quite a bit of agony. Swiftly his anger bubbled up again and it alarmed him.

Why was he getting so mad at a creature whose whole life centered around him; who was soft and fuzzy and was currently gazing up at him adoringly while purring so hard her body quivered. All Trouble did was love him…Qui-Gon and Quinlan (in his own annoying way) too…why was this all too much to deal with? _Why?!_

His gaze locked with Trouble’s and she blinked her big almond shaped eyes at him slowly. The highest language of love in the Loth cat vocabulary. It was almost like she was answering his unspoken question. There were _words_ hanging between them…he could almost feel it.

Obi-Wan arched an eyebrow at her and at the vague awareness of _something_ in the air. Qui-Gon was always telling him he had a ‘gift’ with animals; he didn’t really see it as anything more than they liked him more than some others (such as Quin). It was Qui-Gon who always attracted them to begin with. On how many missions had a walk in the woods became a petting zoo of misfits and ration stealing distractions: all of them. His Master was always amused by their combined ‘friend’ making ability, Obi-Wan sometimes found it to be tedious. Qui-Gon’s love for the down trodden and helpless of all species knew no bounds- well not with Trouble- he was pretty ambivalent about her most days.

Trouble made a soft _cooing_ sound and Obi-Wan thought, _why not?_ “Wanna try something new pretty girl?” he smooshed her face in his hands. He took her happy sounds as consent. The worst that could happen would be nothing….but if this worked, it could be interesting.

Obi-Wan pulled himself back into his meditative state, it wasn’t so hard this time, and allowed Trouble to get comfortable on his lap. The Force ebbed and swirled around them and he gently and carefully pulled it closer to himself, and Trouble.

At first there was no reaction from her, but as the heartbeats ticked by Obi-Wan became more _aware_ of her. Not only her physical attributes- her weight in his lap, the gentle kneading she was inflicting on his thigh with her claws, the rumble of her purring; no there was more to her then that. _Warmth. Contentment. Love…_

_Trouble._ He called her name. Nothing. Sighing softly he pulled them both deeper into the Force, into connection. He tried again, s _ofter_ this time. Outwardly Trouble’s ears perked. _There,_ he felt something! _Trou-ble!_ He sing-songed in his head.

_Burt?_ Trouble questioned out loud.

_No, no silly girl. Here._ He imagined tapping in her on the forehead, right in the spot where her stripes made the shape of an ‘m’. _Come here._

Trouble was confused and Obi-Wan could feel it in the Force between them. He waited, his own consciousness open like a door…and there wasn’t an open door in the galaxy Trouble couldn’t find.

It was strange, but Trouble’s current range of emotions- _confusion, annoyance, frustration_ so closely mirrored his own wild feelings of late. Was he basically just a Loth cat?

_Mine._ The word was a whisper rising above his own thoughts; and there was no question from whom it came.

_Hello there…Trouble._ He smiled. _What’s yours?_

_You._ It was spoken with some intense certainty. Obi-Wan was slightly taken aback, but not surprised. He was also pleased.

_I know. And you are mine?_

_Yes. All this mine._ The things she considered hers included the plants, any food, his bed, _Quinlan Vos_ (what!?) and a host of bugs she had found and consumed.

_What about Master?_ Obi-Wan took both their minds off Quin by picturing Qui-Gon.

Trouble mentally floofed. _Not mine. Yours._ Her general feelings on _The Man_ tended towards a wary truce. She felt he didn’t like her.

_Maybe if you stopped eating his plants he wouldn’t always be mad at you!_ Obi-Wan laughed at her consternation. This was really happening; he was actually _talking_ with the semi-wild animal he kept as a pet. They were having a legitimate conversation. This was more way more than the standard ‘connection’ that most Jedi could make with non-sentient beings in the Force; this was something more, something deeper…something exciting!

Trouble picked up on his joy and her purring got louder and louder until it became a part of the Force and resonated around them. All of a sudden, but not all at once, Obi-Wan let it _all_ go. He could feel the soothing rumble in the very fiber of his being. It resonated in his bones and in every cell. He had never felt this connected to the Force or to another being. He let himself surrender completely and enter the flow of the universe around him. Time, as it often was in the Jedi Temple, became a meaningless construct. Together he and Trouble became one with the Force and nothing in the universe was out of sync any more…there was _peace._

.....

Qui-Gon had been absent most of the day, but he had now run out of reasons to avoid his own rooms due to his surly Padawan. He approached the door with caution, reaching out gently in the Force to test the ‘waters’. He did not receive the expected response; in fact the _power_ that answered his inquiry caused him mild concern.

He keyed the door open and was not prepared for the sight awaiting him. It was not chaos this time, not in the usual sense, but it was still unexpected and alarming.

His Padawan was deep in meditation in the center of the living room, not a strange place for him to be, but the fact that he and every other item in the space was levitating a good two feet off the ground _was._

Obi-Wan was in traditional pose, his head back slightly- eyes closed, legs crossed. Comfortably perched in his lap was Trouble. She also had her head slightly raised as if looking up and she was purring audibly, and as Qui-Gon allowed himself to carefully assess the situation, in the Force itself.

Boy, cat, all of Qui-Gon’s books and plants, the table with his favorite tea cup on it- even the chairs all hovered in defiance of gravity; carefully held in balance by Obi-Wan’s connection to something much larger than himself.

As far as his Master knew Obi-Wan had never previously achieved a connection in mediation of this depth and power before. It was beautiful to behold, and as Qui-Gon allowed himself a moment to take in the scene he felt pride. Perhaps Obi-Wan might survive his teenage years yet. The inclusion of the Loth cat was a tad disturbing, and as Qui-Gon reached out through his connection with his Padawan he was distinctly aware of _someone else._

Qui-Gon’s intrusion into their private world caused Trouble to snap out of sync almost instantly. _The Man!_ She was going to open her eyes, and all would be lost.

_Wait,_ Obi-Wan gently commanded, _wait for me Trouble._ She listened, although somewhat peevishly. With care, and not a little strain, Obi-Wan gently began extricating them from the flow of the Universe. As Qui-Gon watched all the objects previously airborne began to settle back down on the floor. Obi-Wan’s control was impressive; not one book out of place, the beloved teacup was intact, all plants remained in pots.

Lastly Obi-Wan himself with Trouble still aboard, made contact with the floor. With a final deep release of breath the boy reconnected with the ground once again and after a heartbeat shared with all living things on Coruscant- opened his eyes. Trouble hadn’t waited that long and with a big stretch had existed both the Force and his lap to greet Qui-Gon.

Finding himself without words Qui-Gon waited for Obi-Wan to speak first. He was still oddly detached and it took several seconds for him to fully re-enter the reality of the here and now. _Burrt!_ Trouble said winding around The Man’s feet. The sound, which lingered in his mind softly as _hello_ , brought Obi-Wan into the present.  
  
“Hello Master,” it was spoken as softly as his smile. How loath he was to have left the connection of moments, perhaps it had been hours, before. It was a hollow and empty yet bright and warm feeling he was left with. How curious.

“Hello yourselves,” Qui-Gon replied, acutely aware of Obi-Wan’s fluctuating emotions. “You two have been very- busy this afternoon.” He knelt down to finally pet the demanding Trouble before she got violent in her requests for attention.

“I guess so…” Obi-Wan continued to smile at them. Trouble was working awfully hard for the excellent head rubs Master was giving her. “She thinks you don’t like her….”

“Did she tell you that?” Qui-Gon jested dryly, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes.” It was spoken with such unquestionable certainty and mirrored by a _look_ on Trouble’s face; Qui-Gon realized it must be true. He accepted it.

“Did you tell her she should not eat my plants?”

“I did as a matter of fact. I don’t think it will make a difference.”

Qui-Gon chuckled. “What else did you two discuss?”

_What_ indeed. Obi-Wan’s smile became conspiratorial and Trouble _floofed_ under Qui-Gon’s hand.

“Oh I see, keep your secrets then.” Qui-Gon stood up much to Trouble’s dismay.

Obi-Wan also stood up and stretched his arms to the sky enjoying a new found feeling of lightness in his body and mind. “Maybe you should join us next time Master.” He scooped Trouble up from the floor and she wound herself around his shoulders.

Qui-Gon regarded the pair serenely, “Perhaps I shall, if I am welcome.” He bowed slightly to Trouble who _chittered_.

“She will take it into consideration.” Obi-Wan translated with a smirk. Trouble flicked her tail in distain and squinted her eyes at Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon smiled back at both of them, very aware that the power in the room had shifted and he was now odd man out. This could prove to be a very significant event indeed, but as long as Obi-Wan was happy what could the harm be?

**Author's Note:**

> So I recently got a new horse, she is my perfect forever partner! BUT connection is something we are still struggling with both in the riding sense (I ride dressage) as well as just between us. It's only been 6 months, and you certainly can't rush this kind of relationship at this level but....UGH some times I wish I could just use the Force and talk directly to her little horsey brain. Every day we make strides though and I am very happy- and sometimes it does seem like she can read my mind! <3 I know that we will get there! 
> 
> I love Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's abilities to find misfits and animals and just take them in. It seemed like a natural progress that Obi- Wan would 'mind meld' with his precious kitten at some point, but Qui-Gon was probably hoping it would fail spectacularly. Now they out number him! XD


End file.
